5.31.2009

I've been waiting for years to get on this South East classic and it finally happened this spring. I've heard dozens of stories from friends and watched so much footage of this epic run, not to mention all the times I've run these rapids in my head (especially thanks to Gragtmans' Toxaway headcam tour on LVM 19, which is still one of my personal favorite LVM segments).

The level was low but still great, something like -3 to -4 inches and everything went super smooth for a Toxaway day. Thanks Adam Bixby, Adam Secrest, and Chan Jones for showing me down!

Chan at the end of the put-in slide.

Adam Secrest about halfway through minigizer (which as of September 25, 2009 cannot be run from the top due to a huge landslide deposited boulder).

Chan about to seal launch into Energizer. This is usually the point in a day of kayaking when I am giving thanks for being alive and crapping my boat at the same time.

Chan amidst the adrenaline-filled high-speed trough ride that is Energizer.

Adam Bixby getting close to the bottom of Energizer...one of the longest, biggest rapids I will ever run.

Wish I had some photos of Wintergreen and Landbridge but we routed them too fast and I was too gripped to think about photos. I had seen enough photos of Wintergreen that I felt comfortable just dropping in blind behind someone else, so 60 seconds after I had run Landbridge I was at the bottom of Wintergreen wondering how it is possible to drop all that gradient that quickly!